Tools of the Trade

Many of the graduate programs at Columbia College Chicago have very clear tools of the trade. Music Composition for the Screen has pianos, audio editing software, composition software/paper. Photography has light kits, cameras, dark rooms, certainly there are even more tools that these and other disciplines utilize on a daily basis. But what about Business & Entrepreneurship, what are the standard tools that we utilize as budding arts managers to achieve proficiency and excellence in pursuit of our Master’s degree? What do we use on a daily basis that will carry us to the completion of our degree and beyond? Here is an incomplete list, if you have additional ideas please feel free to leave them in the comments:

This is one of the best search queries that you can put into a search engine. Google makes use of this search term, and it very often returns scholarly research, peer reviewed articles, theses, dissertations, and studies from around the world. It’s simple and effective, and the resulting information can be incredibly powerful for presentations, pricing analysis, academic papers, and market research. The possibilities are as deep as the web, and we all know that the web is incredibly deep.

Looking for that perfect collaborator, searching for a business partner to launch your startup, configuring the cornerstone of your online professional persona? LinkedIn provides all this and more, and as it grows it’s becoming an even more effective recruiting and resume tool.

If there’s a publicly available data set Wolfram Alpha has converted it into useable data. Data on almost anything that you can think of presented in readable graphs, charts and tables. This tool is developing constantly, and is one of the most effective ways to analyze generally available data quickly and efficiently. Great for researching the business environment, donor statistics, and researching the demographics of your intended audience.

Never underestimate the value of having a good time with friends. All that research will take you only so far, but learning how to unwind, and maybe do a bit of networking in the process, can be invaluable. These are just two of a million places to make that happen.

Like spending time with people you click with, it’s also valuable to spend time with just you. Curl up with a good book. Maybe that book happens to be related to your profession, maybe it’s a book about Katniss Everdeen. Whatever you choose to read, don’t forget the value of the printed page (or digital page if you prefer). Reading is great, and great for you. Make some tea or coffee beforehand, and dive in. Who knows, you might come up with a great business idea in the process.